Response to SeikoRin's: Legendary Rewrite
by kyugan
Summary: As stated, a response to a challenge from SeikoRin. During the Final Battle with Pain, Naruto unintentionally sets in motion the means to ensure Jiraiya's dream of peace becomes a reality...in the past. Rated T for the moment.
1. Chapter 1

This fic is a response to a challenge from Seiko Rin, and admittedly, the first time I've received such a challenge.

While I am still working away at my other fics, Gaiden and Youko needing a VAST update, I hope you enjoy this one as much as the others.

Legendary Rewrite.

Part 1. Nice going Brat

Once, Konohagakure no sato had been hailed as the largest, and grudgingly, most powerful of the five major Shinobi nations worthy of claiming the title of kage for their village leader. All five of the reigning Hokage had, in their time, been legends both on and off the battlefield.

Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage, wielder of the vaunted Mokuton Kekkei Genkai, and the only man to boast full control over the nine bijuu, which he dispersed among the nations as a sign of faith. And his brother, Senju Tobirama, the Nidaime Hokage, hailed as Konoha's God of War, undisputed master of Suiton ninjutsu and wielder of the legendary Raijin ken.

Together, these two trained the Sandaime, the prodigal Sarutobi Hiruzen, descendent of the legendary Sarutobi Sasuke. Hiruzen would go on to become known as the 'god of Shinobi', master of every jutsu in his village, as well as becoming oldest living Kage in History, as well as the only one to claim the reign of power twice.

The Yondaime, breaking the chain of succession, came in the form of one of the students of Jiraiya, Sarutobi's own student, Namikaze Minato, who would become known as the Kiroi Senkou, feared and loathed by Iwagakure, and later the man to defeat the Kyuubi.

While Sarutobi reclaimed the reigns of power following Minato's sacrifice, his reign would only last another thirteen years before Orochimaru, his treacherous, once most beloved student, came to claim his life, at the cost of his arms. During this time Sarutobi's final Student, Senju Tsunade, Granddaughter of the first hokage, returned from self imposed exile to claim her birth-right, and the reigns of power as the godaime Hokage.

Right now though, as she knelt next to her young apprentice, Haruno Sakura, Tsunade couldn't help but wonder if she'd have been better off staying in exile. Not only had Konoha been literally blasted off the face of the map, but she was currently the last of the sannin, Jiraiya and Orochimaru having been slain, in some shape of form, by the criminal organization known as Akatsuki, the leader of which had been the one to destroy her home, claiming it as 'justice'.

Even now, as she fought to regain her strength, watching the miniature moon that had formed in the sky shatter as the Kyuubi's howls tore through the air once more, the medical prodigy wondered if, had the sannin remained together, would things have turned out differently.

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"He broke through my Chibaku Tensei…" Nagato muttered, watching through the animated corpse of his one-time friend Yahiko as the Kyuubi container stood glaring at him, eyes framed with red, the pupils golden and toad-like in appearance as he charged up a Rasen-shuriken "Impressive."

That was as far as he got before Uzumaki Naruto, son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, Student of Hatake 'Sharingan' Kakashi, Disciple and Godson of Jiraiya and the toads of Myoboku-zan and one VERY pissed of Jinchuuriki, blasted into his hidden cave, startling the life out of Konan, who'd been distracted from her watch out of concern for his health. The blue haired woman summoned her paper around her, trying to muster a defense, only to be sent crashing into the wall, her neck broken courtesy of a savage, sage-chakra laced backhand to the face.

Nagato, his eyes gaping in disbelief, realizing only now that his avatar was fighting one of the jinchuriki's clones, could only watch helplessly within the confines of his walker as the blonde's fist, laden with Sage-chakra, rushed towards his face like a comet, before everything went blissfully silent.

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Yamanaka Inoichi grunted as he climbed the cliff where Shikamaru had suggested they look for pain, cursing under his breath as he recalled the damage the madman had inflicted on Konoha. Even if they could rebuild, it was clear to anyone that the once proud shinobi village had been decimated like nothing before, even Iwa hadn't suffered this badly during the war.

'Jiraiya-sama, Shizune and Kakashi are gone too…' he noted, a scowl crossing his features as he recalled how helpless he'd been to protect the medic, Pain's avatar having ripped her soul from her body. 'So help me, if I get that bastard in my Hiranshin I'm making him dismember himself, all seven of him, from the inside out!'

Flanking her father, Yamanaka Ino was of a like mind, recalling how cold Shizune's body had felt, not to mention the look of terror that had adorned the medic's features as she knelt at the long-haired pain's feet, her mind being read as easily as one could turn the pages of a book. A sudden explosion rocked the cliff-face, the search team letting out a yell, Inuzuka Tsume cursing as she dug her claw-like nails into the cliff-face, Kuromaru doing the same, but adding his fangs to the mix.

"What the hell was that?!" the Inuzuka matriarch snapped, only to gape as the top of the mountain EXPLODED outwards, Ino shrieking as her father pulled her towards him, out of the path of the avalanche, but only just.

"I smell blood…" Kuromaru growled over the din, the great hound's nose twitching and sole eye narrowed in a deep, rumbling growl "Blood…and anger…and sickness…" he snorted "and…Ramen?"

"Ramen?" Tsume repeated, eyeing her companion in confusion "Who in the hell reeks so much of-?" she blinked, catching Inoichi's eye with a snort "Damn but he works fast…Just like his old man huh?"

"HE never left anything for the rest of us either." Inoichi chuckled, ignoring the confused look on his daughter's face as he smirked at the Inuzuka matriarch "Though I doubt he'd take a mountain with him in the process."

"What can I say?" Tsume snorted as she pulled herself up the slope "The kid's not the most unpredictable ninja in Konoha for nothing."

Ino looked between the chuckling adults in confusion, wondering just what the hell they were talking about, even as the first, telltale signs of something wrong washed over her, her eyes widening as she caught sight of her hand. "Dad?" she called out, her voice unsettled, even as Kuromaru let out a plaintive whine that caused Tsume to look back at him in alarm. Inoichi, turned to his princess, just in time to gape as she disappeared from sight, Kuromaru along with her.

"INO!" the Yamanaka patriarch yelled, looking around for his daughter desperately, only to blink as he lost his footing, stumbling to the ground and gaping at his feet as they slowly faded out of sight "Wha-what the hell?!"

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Uchiha Sasuke, Last son of Clan Uchiha, and soon, the one that would burn Konoha to the ground, glared at the crater that had once been his hometown, sharingan blazing at the arrogance of Pain stealing what was rightfully His to destroy.

"Whew!" Suigetsu whistled, the liquid-man with the trademark shark-teeth of a kirigakure nin covering his eyes to see the carnage better "That Pain bastard really knows how to put his foot down huh?"

"I'm sensing very few life-signs…" Karin reported, opening her eyes and lowering her hands from their seals "It would seem Pain's jutsu has effectively wiped Konoha out utterly."

Juugo said nothing, but the look of distress on the giant's features showed he felt for the village…or at least for the countless innocents that had been caught in the crossfire. Ironically enough it was Juugo, normally so preoccupied with restraining his desire to 'wig-out' and murder everyone, who noticed that something was wrong first, namely that Sasuke was starting to become transparent, and the giant didn't mean the Uchiha's motives.

"Sasuke!" he yelled, reaching out for the avengers shoulder, only to gape as his hand passed right through, Karin's scream of shock and Suigetsu coarse swearing tearing through the air even as the team realized their leader wasn't the only one disappearing.

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"Send out a search party at once." Madara, in the guise of Tobi, demanded of his few remaining subordinates, Zetsu and Kisame, "The Hachibi has a week's start on us already, but men of his description can't be too hard to find."

"Leave it to the leftover Uchiha to cock everything up." Zetsu's dark half growled, only to shiver as a most peculiar feeling fell over him, a moment of lucidity if you will "What the hell?"

Kisame looked up, only to gape as the plant man's light half, along with half of his body, was slowly fading out of existence. He opened his mouth to roar in shock, only to pale as he realized no sound was coming out, mainly because, in the darkness of the cavern, he had already vanished from the mouth downwards.

Madara, his visible Sharingan narrowing at the sight, could only growl as the feeling of emptiness washed over him 'The damned fox-!'

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'Where am I?' Naruto wondered, cracking his eyes open with a grimace as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Not that this did any good, as the blinding light that jabbed into his retinas promptly caused him to snap them shut 'Too bright…why'm I so light?'

He tried to sit up, but his muscles didn't seem to want any of it, in fact, they were dangling down and behind him, like the limbs of a puppet floating in the water. Except there was no water, there wasn't ANYTHING, there was only the light, and it couldn't even be called that. This was whiteness beyond whiteness, and emptiness beyond empty, the most sterile room in creation was a garbage dump compared to how spotless this weird, unnatural place felt.

'So how'd I get here?' the weakened jinchuuriki wondered, his eyes cracking slightly open out of stubbornness. If he could survive being partially digested by a godsdamned snake, he wasn't about to let a little light keep him from taking a look around 'Last I remember was that Pain freak looking at me and…'

'**You really are a handful…you know that brat…?'** a dark, murderous voice growled, the words reaching into his brain without having the decency to pass through his ears.

'Still with me, kuso-kitsune?' the son of the Yondaime mocked, feeling a guilty thrill rush through his body at THAT little piece of information. After so long of being considered an orphan, a nameless nobody, it was like stumbling across the vaunted holy grail to learn he had parents. The fact the Yondaime was his dad was just the icing on the cake.

'**I thought I'd seen it all…' **the blonde's tenant muttered, giving him the impression it was shaking it's big, furry head in disbelief **'I've lived countless millennia, I've seen empires rise and fall, I've seen things that would make a mortal soul implode,' **again, the feeling of a head being shaken **'But you…you brat, take the whole fucking cake.'**

'Can the flattery furball.' Naruto shot back, not in the mood for the demon's honeyed whispers after what it tried to pull when he'd drawn out eight tails worth of chakra, 'just tell me what the hell did you do.'

'**What did 'I' do?' **the demon repeated, and Naruto, for some inexplicable reason, got the feeling the furball was laughing at him **'Now how, in the name of Inari-sama's balls did you come to the conclusion that this is MY doing?'**

'Don't try and cover it up!' Naruto countered, his tone annoyed, even if he couldn't actually SEE his long time burden to yell at it 'All the freaky shit in my life is always connected to you in some way!'

'**Oh yes, play the jinchuurki card,'** the demon snorted **'It's not like I CHOSE to be sealed into you, hell if I'd had one more second your damnable sire and his summon would've been vaporized.'** It sniffed disdainfully **'Then again, if I hadn't been sealed then we wouldn't still be here to complain would we?'**

'Where the hell are we anyways?' Naruto asked, still a little unnerved that he wasn't actually saying anything. He wasn't breathing either, or at least he didn't feel his lungs moving, and it was starting to freak him out.

'**We're nowhere.'** Kyuubi replied flatly **'And don't look at me like that, there is literally no name for this place that in any language in the world. call it whatever you want: Limbo, Tween-time, Realm of the Blue screen…'**

'Realm of the what?' Naruto wondered, his brow furrowing in confusion at his tenant's unusual words.

'**Never mind,' Kyuubi cut in, tone dismissive, 'It hardly matters, all you need to know is that this place only exists outside of time, and that if we're here…then you fucked up big time.'**

'Wait what the hell!' Naruto snapped, though his body remained limp 'No way in the hell is this my fault!'

'**Really? You don't remember the last thing you did?' **Kyuubi asked, a hint of mockery in it's tone **'Because I certainly wasn't the one that used SAGE chakra to kill a descendent of the Rokudou no sennin.'**

'Rokudou no what now?' Naruto repeated, face going super-deforemed and a question mark forming over his head.

'**Of all the-! Don't you ever pay attention to what people tell you?!' **the fox snapped, and for some reason, Naruto felt himself flinch in a manner he normally associated with feminine ire, **'The founder of the shinobi world?! Creator of the first elemental Jutsu?! Master of all forms of the Shinobi arts?!'**

'So he's someone important?' Naruto repeated, only to flinch as the demon howled in his mind, the sound oddly hysterical.

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'**My kingdom for a braincell…' **the fox muttered bitterly, then sighed **'Look, just get the basics into your skull: The Rokudou no sennin, who created the first Ninjutsu, and basically founded the shinobi world, possessed the rin'negan.' **It growled when Naruto made to interrupt **'Silence! Anyways, some of his disciples, unsatisfied with their lot, decided to kill him in his sleep…lets just say it didn't work out to well.' **a growl of resentment'**Anyways, the sage, who had mastered all elemental affinities, could do so because he tapped into the natural energies of the world…something you should be fortunate Pain never got around to finding out.'**

'Whoa-whoa-whoa wait a sec!' Naruto stammered, 'Are you telling me that this Six-path guy could use SAGE Chakra?!'

'**What part of 'Founder of the Shinbi world' did your brain not register?!' **the fox hissed, and indeed, Naruto felt vary foolish **'And it was a good thing Pain did not learn it, or we'd be going through what Shukaku's host did right about now…though on second thoughts that might be preferable.'**

'But wait…' Naruto wondered 'if the Rin'negan allowed pain to master all forms of Jutsu…then why'd he only use one technique at a time?'

'**Because while it is the most vaunted doujutsu, the user must still LEARN their skills the hard way.' **Kyuubi supplied, **'A trait that led to Pain's downfall, for using the powers of the Rin'negan, without the use of Sage Chakra to bolster his mortal frame…' **A dark chuckle** 'well, you saw what he looked like.'**

Naruto shivered at the memory of Pain's wraith-like body, he'd never seen anyone look that sick and skeletal and still be alive. Even Orochimaru, the embodiment of creepy, hadn't come close to turning Naruto's stomach that much. 'Still, that doesn't explain what the hell's going on.' He muttered confusedly.

'**Think about it you monkey,'** Kyuubi replied, in a voice that was filled with dark humor '**The Rokudou no sennin created the world with his Rin'negan and Sage Chakra, don't you think it stands to reason that the only reason the world continued to exist after his death was because his descendants still remained?'**

Naruto blanched, a chill running through his numb body like ice coursing through his veins 'So…when I attacked him in sage mode…'

'**It was like a dog biting it's master, the natural energy, which the Rin'negan helped create, destroyed the keystone that held the world together.' Another dark chuckle, almost mocking 'Congratulations brat…you just destroyed the world.'**

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Naruto gaped, mind reeling at the implications of what he'd just been told.

It couldn't be true, in a few minutes he would wake up in Konoha's Hospital and everything would be back to the way it was. Sakura would bean him over the head for making him worry, the Tsunade-baachan would come over to get her digs in. Kakashi-sensei would be leaning against the door…or lying in the bed next to him, reading one of Ero-sennin's pervy novels.

Then Shikamaru and Team Asuma would saunter in, Chouji munching away at the fruits basket they'd brought for him, Ino telling her teammate off whilst Shikamaru just snorted and stood there like the lazy genius he was. And Team Gai would be right behind them, Lee and Gai doing some bizarre dance for his health whilst Neji watched them in disgust, Tenten shaking her head in disbelief.

Team Kurenai, with the elegant, ruby-eyed jounin herself still on maternity leave, would walk in, Kiba and Akamaru making pests of themselves while Shino did the whole 'silent brooding thing whilst asking about his health while Hinata…

Oh Gods Hinata…

The Hyuuga heiress, who had professed her love to him right before being cut down by Pain's avatar, right in front of him. He'd SEEN Pain stab the girl, heard her little cry as the black, chakra disruptor had pierced her, smelled the blood even as he morphed into his six-tailed state…

'They're all gone…' he breathed, and now his eyes opened, tears brimming in the blue as they gazed into the never-ending whiteness, heedless of the searing pain in his retinas and his tenant's roars for him to stop 'All my fault…Gegimayu…Tenten…Neji…Shikamaru…Ino…Chouji….Kiba…Hinata…Sakura-chan…Ichiraku-jiji…Ayame-neechan…Kurenai-sensei…Gejimayu-sensei…Iruka-sensei…' he shuthis ees one last time as the images of those who cared for him flashed before them, one last face beaming at him as the whiteness claimed his world 'Baachan…'

A flash of green under his jacket filled the whiteness, his jacket unzipping as the necklace of Senjuu Hashirama, Tsunade's grandfather, lit up like a supernova, Naruto gasping as he felt a tugging sensation from the region of his stomach, and then nothing.

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"Goddammit! I fucking hate that cat!" came a snarl from a girl, or rather a young woman, as she stamped down the street, her arms lined with scratch marks and her pretty face drawn in a bestial snarl.

"Tell me about it…" one of her friends mutter, rubbing his face from where the satanic feline had tried to gouge out his eyes "One of these days I'm gonna chase it into the Inuzuka kennels!"

"Then you'd have to deal with Koga-dono." A third youth pointed out, walking alongside the irate duo, on the girls left, his long, ebony locks a stark contrast to his pale skin "Still…the idea does have merit."

"What the hell? YOU'RE actually agreeing with the idiot?" the girl wondered, looking back at her normally reserved teammate in confusion, before placing a hand to his forehead "Are you ill?"

"The hell's that supposed to mean?!" the other teen snapped, getting up in her face even as the third sighed and shook his head in disbelief.

"It means what it means fat-ass!"

"Who you calling fat you tit-less brat?!"

The third youth sighed, shaking his head at the immaturity of his fellows as he gazed heavenward, his golden eyes widening in alarm as he grabbed them both by their hair and leapt to the ground. "GAH! WHAT THE HELL IS YOU PROBLEM OROCHI-?!" the white haired one snapped, only to yelp as something crashed into the spot they'd just vacated with enough force to send a plume of smoke and debris into the air "SWEET MOTHER OF MAMARIES!"

"Your welcome." The raven-haired youth replied, a small, superior smile forming on his pale face as he slowly raised himself off the floor, his teammates following suit as they crawled to the lip of the crater.

"Holy shit…" the girl whispered, eyes widening at the sheer SIZE of the crater, large enough for an Akimichi, in their giant form, to sit in comfortably without fear of pinching "What could have…?"

"Hey there's someone down there!" the white haired youth yelled, pointing down into the smoke where a form was barely visible at the bottom, lying very still "OI! You alive down there?!"

The black haired youth, shaking his head at his colleague's statement, leapt over the ridge and promptly slid down into the crater, wincing from the smell of burnt dirt and the cracking of cooling stone. 'A good thing we were in the training fields…' he muttered 'Had we been in the village proper…' He pushed those thoughts aside as he touched down into the crater, kneeling next to the figure and, gently, rolling it onto its side.

'A boy?' he noted only to frown as he rubbed the dirt away 'No…a teenager at least…not much older than myself I'd wager…' he felt for a pulse '…he's alive…barely…' he looked to the youth's head, where a muddy hitai-ate was visible, rubbing the cooling metal tentatively, only to gape at the familiar symbol etched on it.

"Kami-sama…" he breathed, before turning to look up at his teammates "There's a faint pulse, but he needs medical attention." He turned to the white haired teen "Get Sensei here at once!"

As the trio leapt into action, the white haired youth dashing off in search of their sensei, and the girl joining her teammate in the crater, they failed to notice the dim emerald glow under his clothes that was slowly fading away, or the low, imperceptible hum that seemed to come from his chest.

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Far away, at four different points of the world, four great beasts woke from their ancient slumber and turned their gazes towards a point that, for countless millennia, they had left unattented.

'He has come.'

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And...there we have it.

Dunno if anyone else came up with the 'kill pain, world goes bye-bye' angle, but i figured it could be there. Rokudou created the world forcrying out loud, and SAGE chakra had to come from somewhere, so since Jiraiya hadn't trained as a sage when he met Nagato, he couldn't pass on Sage teachings, which resulted in the rin'negan burning pain out.

Also, yes, that comment about the desciples has some meaning to it, but not to the 'four beasts' that awoke at Naruto arrival.

First one who can guess the identity of the trio that found our favourite blonde knucklehead ninja gets a cookie...or oneshot pairing, though considering how easy I made it, it should be a no-brainer.

R&R!

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	2. Chapter 2

Took a while to get the plot going, not a lot of time-travel fics go farther back than the chunin exam arc.

Halibel: Procrastinator...

Kyugan: URUSEI! *ahem, looksaway nervously from glare* Anyways! Here's the second chapter!

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Part 2.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the prodigal apprentice of the two Senju Brothers, sighed as he traversed the streets of his hometown, waving jovially at certain locals that called out to him, or nodding his respect to the concealed ANBU that were mingling with the crowd to keep the peace. The fact that he noticed the masked nin unnerved some of them, most of them being Uchiha's, and thus believing themselves nigh untouchable. to lesser mortals. Sarutobi quite enjoyed reminding them that even Kekkei Genkai carriers were mortal, and that BO or morning breath was not something that genetics could conceal without a fight.

The jounin had just come from a meeting with his genin cell, a rather fortuitous one, as they had finally, after much griping, fighting, spiting and trials, managed to qualify for the newly suggested Chunin exams that were set to take place in the village within the next few weeks.

Now admittedly Sarutobi didn't agree with the idea of letting enemy shinobi into the village, an opinion shared by many others, who were more vocal regarding their opinions on the matter, but he could see the benefit of it in regards to improving foreign relations, and so he could not find it in himself to fault his sensei suggesting it to the other Kage in the developing hidden villages.

As it were, having left his team to their own devices, no doubt meaning Jiraiya was trying to peep on girls again this very minute, the Sarutobi head was currently making his way over to the Senju complex to deliver a progress report regarding Hashirama-sensei's granddaughter, Tsunade. He'd been rather chuffed that the man had seen fit to entrust her to him, as it showed just how highly Hashirama-sensei held him in comparison to his fellows, though he'd never let it interfere with his judgment regarding her training.

A good thing too, for Tsunade, while a capable kunoichi, had needed a few lessons pounded into her before she understood that being the granddaughter of the Hokage didn't exempt her from D-rank missions. Nor did it grant her the right to send her teammate to the hospital for letting his libido get the better of him. Slap him yes, knock him out with a sharp blow to the head or kick to the nuts by all means, but you had to draw the line when it came, and having the boy treated for multiple broken bones was it.

"Sarutobi-sensei!" A familiar voice yelled out, Hiruzen turning with a cocked eyebrow to espy the perverted member of team seven himself charging towards him, red in the face and looking decidedly panicked.

"What is it, Jiraiya-kun?" he greeted, a warm smile on his face as the white haired youth came to a stop before him, bent over from exhaustion "Did you upset Tsunade-chan again? I thought I heard the earth shake a while ago…"

"Not…my …fault…" Jiraiya panted, having scoured the entire village looking for the old man before finally tracking him down in the Senju sector of town "There's…a man down…crashed into…training field…"

Sarutobi's eyes lost their jovial light at the teen's words; 'Man Down' generally meant that someone had been injured, and for whatever it was to have caused a small earthquake that could be felt all the way from the training field, it had to be something akin to a shinobi battle.

Without a second glance, he leapt towards the training field, Jiraiya trailing in his wake, having caught his breath as the old man pondered. Within minutes, they had returned to the training field, Sarutobi's eyes narrowing at the sight of the crater. 'What kind of jutsu caused this?' he wondered, gazing down into the pit, his senses on high alert, detecting three signatures at the bottom, two familiar, one decidedly not so.

"Sarutobi-sensei!" Tsunade called out to him as the bearded jounin landed next to her, her fists glowing with green, healing chakra as she pressed on the chest of a young man in the remains of a black and orange jumpsuit.

"Status report." Sarutobi demanded, crouching next to his student to see if she was doing things right, only to wince as he got a better look at her charge. The lad's skin was virtually gone, as if it had peeled away, leaving behind the raw, agonized flesh underneath. In a way it was a good thing he was unconscious, Sarutobi couldn't even begin to imagine the pain being in such a state entailed. 'Blonde hair…' he noted, eyeing the golden spikes on the youth's head with a frown 'A rarity in these parts…a foreigner?'

"We don't know what happened sensei." Orochimaru spoke up, the pale skinned youth, crouching on the other side of the patient, "He just…fell out of nowhere. One minute we were walking along, the next he crashed right into the training field and…" he gestured at the crater walls "I've never heard of a jutsu that produced such results."

"Nor have I." Sarutobi admitted, drawing looks of amazement from his charges. For was he not known as the disciple of the Senju brothers? Labeled with the nickname 'Hakase' for his prodigious ability to master the theory behind virtually any jutsu? "In any case, which village is he from?"

"That's the thing sensei…" Orochimaru noted, pulling out a scrap of black cloth, to which was attached a plate of metal, a shinobi Hitai-ate. To be more precise, it was a LEAF village Hitai-ate.

'There aren't that many blondes in Konoha…' Hiruzen noted, his mind racing through the notoriously short list in a matter of seconds. Even so, that didn't negate the possibility of him being a spy. "Can he be moved?" He asked Tsunade, deferring to her medical knowledge, which even as a teen surpassed his own, to an extent.

"It'll hurt," Tsunade admitted, looking ready to collapse from the strain of maintaining the jutsu, "But yes, I've healed some of the more vital areas, so he'll last until we can get him to the hospital."

Sarutobi nodded, before scooping the injured teen into his arms, earning a grunt of pain from the figure, before dashing off to the hospital, his team in tow. As he left, he noted the ANBU skulking in the shadows and sent a silent message for them to begin their examinations of the crater. Hashirama-sensei would have to be alerted soon.

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"Well?" Senju Hashirama asked, the Shodai Hokage and head of clan Senju shooting the ANBU kneeling before him a look from behind his desk in the Hokage office, fiddling with something in his hands as he spoke.

"Sir, as ordered by Jounin, Sarutobi Hiruzen, we began our examinations once he had escorted his team off the premises." The ANBU reported, his head bowed low to the floor respectfully "Unfortunately, we were unable to discern the cause or purpose of whatever jutsu was used, however, two things were clear: Firstly, it seems similar to a summoning jutsu, in that it transported the subject over a vast distance at high speed." He waited a few seconds to let that sink in "Secondly, it required a phenomenal amount of chakra…more than any human could hope to generate in one lifetime."

Hashirama frowned, not liking the sound of that at ALL. He'd only just recently dispersed the Bijuu equally amongst the elemental nations, each one going to an area that would suit them best. It wouldn't make sense to send the Sanbi to suna for example, or the Niibi to Kiri. So in other words, there were nine chakra containers dispersed around the shinobi world, each one capable of taking on a small nation on its own, or providing a powerful weapon if they were sealed into a human host.

'The number of tails required to pull of a jutsu of this scale would be five…' he noted, frowning in thought as he rubbed his chin 'But the bijuu from four upwards have been allocated amongst friendly or neutral nations…and the Kyuubi would NEVER willingly surrender it's power.'

Shaking his head, the Shodai Hokage rose from his seat and turned to face the window, looking out on his developing home with tired, but proud eyes. It had taken countless years and many false starts, but together, the Senju and Uchiha clans had forged an alliance that culminated in several other notable clans joining the leaf. There were new clans joining by the week, just the other day a small clan with an advanced mastery over canines had seen fit to throw in their lot with the leaf.

"And any news about our…delegation, to the Hyuuga?" Hashirama asked, turning to regard the ANBU, who averted his masked gaze "I see…keep trying then."

Sighing, Hashirama let the man go, turning just in time to see his younger brother, the white-haired Tobirama, enter his office. "Aniki…" the younger Senju brother greeted, a wry smirk on his lips as he shook his head in wry bemusement at his brother's haggard appearance "You look like shit warmed over."

"Must you blaspheme in my office?" Hashirama muttered with a long-sufferinfg sigh, sinking into his chair with a groan, a bemused smirk on his face "Bad enough you do so at the clan house, can I not escape your tongue even here?"

"Nowhere is safe from me Aniki." Tobirama chortled, sitting on the desk and tossing his prized Raijin in the air like a baton, catching it nimbly before repeating the action "So what's new? Any word from ol' white eyes?"

"Hyuuga Hotaru has made it quite clear that his clan remains…uninterested, towards our offer to join the leaf." Hashirama sighed, shaking his head "Of course you didn't help the situation with that stunt you pulled."

"Hey, 'snot my fault they've never heard of putting a sign on the damn door." Tobirama protested with a stubborn scowl, a small smirk slowly adorning his face "but I tell ya…those Hyuuga females…"

"Stop that." Hashirama ordered, though he did smile guiltily at his brother's antics. And he had to admit, were he not married and with Grandchildren, he might even have been interested, for Hyuuga women were rumored to be as wild in the sack as they were reserved out of it "Also, Saru seems to have picked up someone unusual…a genin no-one's seen before."

"Really?" Tobirama asked, quirking an eyebrow in bemusement as he regarded his brother. Hiruzen was their prize student after all, Homura and Koharu were good in their own right, but couldn't hold a candle to him.

"Yes…but that's not the interesting thing…" Hashirama muttered, putting a battered Hitai-ate on the desk "For one, while this is certainly Konoha Steel, I'd recognize the Ten clan's handiwork anywhere, the issue number doesn't match any currently in service OR production." He pulled out something from under the table "Also…he was wearing this."

Tobirama's eyes widened, Raijin tumbling to the floor from his nerveless fingers as he gaped at the sliver of emerald stone on a wire that was the spitting image of the one his brother wore around his neck. "No fucking way…" he breathed, reaching out tentatively to touch the sliver of stone, before looking up at his brother for confirmation "Have you…checked it?"

"I have." Hashirama admitted, his face solemn "It's not a forgery, nor is it a copy created by a jutsu or sculptor. It reacts PERFECTLY to my chakra, and the resonance is exactly the same as the one around my neck."

To emphasize this, he pulled the necklace he wore out from under his armor, holding it up by it's chain for his brother to see, before sending a small burst of chakra into each, causing both to resonate slightly, filling the room with a gentle, crystalline light. "Well…Shit…" Tobirama muttered, looking absolutely speechless, which was actually saying something "What does it mean?"

"I don't know." Hashirama admitted solemnly, tucking his own jewel back under his breastplate as he stood up, stuffing the other gem into his pocket "But not one word of this is to get out…the walls have eyes these days…RED Eyes."

Tobirama said nothing, but the frown on his face and the nod he gave his brother made it clear he understood perfectly.

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"Sarutobi…" a voice called out, stalling the prodigal student of the Senju brother's in his tracks, a scowl adorning his face as he turned to glare at the point of origin in all his blac-clad glory.

"Danzo." He muttered, turning to eye the bark haired, flinty-eyed jounin as he stepped out of the shadows, dressed, as always in a black shinobi body-suit with a ninjatou over his shoulder.

The two had been rivals since their genin days, Sarutobi always scoring well above his dark haired counterpart, and had been scooped up eagerly by the brother's Senju when the time came for them to create a cell of their own. Naturally, Danzo took offence to this, even if the Shodai's greatest rival, Uchiha Madara, was training him personally.

Though quite frankly, Hiruzen couldn't see the appeal in such an arrangement. For one thing, the Uchiha elder gave him the creeps, always walking around with his sharingan active, never saying anything unless it were to contradict some law or edict Hashirama-sensei proclaimed. The man had never taken being passed over for the title of Hokage lightly.

"I hear you picked up something interesting today." Danzo noted, looking his rival over with his usual piercing eyes, his lips pursed as if he was sucking a lemon "A little gift from the sky as it were?"

"I'm not at liberty to say." Hiruzen shot back, his tone making it clear he didn't appreciate Danzo pressing him for information that the Hokage had deemed S-class classified, meaning even though Sarutobi had found the boy, he wasn't privy to whatever intel was found unless the Hokage gave him confirmation.

'I wonder if it has to do with him having Sensei's chakra-crystal.' He wondered offhandedly, recalling the look of absolute bewilderment on the Hokage's face when he'd held the glittering green jewel out to him 'Strange…I wonder how on earth he'd gotten a hold of it.'

"I only ask, because, as a member of the new Konoha ANBU division, my master has placed a great burden on my shoulders to ensure that the safety of our village isn't compromised." Danzo replied flatly, his tone implying that he had all the time in the world and was authorized to keep pestering his rival until he got something, even a name.

"Well then you can inform Madara-sama that if he wishes to know the thoughts of MY masters then he can ask them himself at the next council meeting." Hiruzen reminded the man sharply, flaring his chakra slightly to let the man know just WHO he was trying to dick around with. Hiruzen may not have liked to blow his own horn, but he was at least three times stronger, faster and craftier than his rival, and had at least five times the chakra reserves of the man. If it came down to a battle of skills he had the man pegged too, and don't even get started on armed combat.

Some people might scoff at the idea of using a staff against a sword, but Hiruzen would take them all on and be the only one in a jovial mood afterwards.

"As you will Sarutobi." Danzo offered with a shrug, though Hiruzen didn't miss the malicious glare he leveled at him from under those half shut lids "Just remember, Madara-sama takes the security of our village DEADLY seriously."

And with that he left, a trail of leaves wafting in his wake as Sarutobi scowled, before making his way back to the Sarutobi compound.

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"Who do you think he is?" Jiraiya asked, leaning over the youth currently strapped to the hospital bed, bound head to foot in bandages beneath his hospital robes, only his eyes and hair visible under the wrappings.

"No clue." Orochimaru admitted, arms crossed and holding his chin in contemplation "from what I could tell his eyes were blue, but not the same shade as a Yamanaka. Nor is his hair, and I doubt the males of that clan cut their hair that short anyways."

Tsunade stifled a giggle at that, knowing it wasn't right to bad mouth a comrade. But Orochimaru did have a point; the Yamanaka clan took great pride in their blonde hair and blue eyes. Too much pride some people said.

"He's tall, but no taller than you, Tsunade-Hime." Orochimaru noted, Tsunade being taller than all three of them by scant millimeters, a fact she lorded over Jiraiya, who had been dubbed the 'runt of the litter' by their fellow genin. "The markings on his face appear to be natural…perhaps an Inuzuka?"

"No nin-ken." Jiraiya countered with a snort, dashing THAT theory to hell, "Even if he'd lost it in battle, he'd have one of it's fangs grafted in place of his own."

Tsunade shivered, recalling THAT gruesome tidbit of information with a hint of revulsion. While the Inuzuka were an admirable addition to the growing might of Konoha, some of their customs left much to be desired.

"Besides, everyone in that clan's a brunette to some degree." Jiraiya pointed out with a sigh "Plus all of them are still getting settled in at that compound of theirs…no way they'd have been out on missions yet."

"You know…" Tsunade noted, looking the mummified teen over curiously, wondering just what he looked like beneath the bandages "We never did get a good look at him before…most of his skin was burned off and all."

"Sounds like a Katon jutsu alright." Jiraiya noted with a shudder, recalling the one tie hed screwed up one of Hiruzen-sensei's jutsu and scalded his throat "But what type of jutsu would hurl him into the air like that?"

'Let alone cause him to come down with such force…' Orochimaru noted offhandedly, looking down at the bandaged youth with interest. 'It's a miracle he survived at all…I hope he lives long enough to tell us who he is.'

A nurse came in two second s later, telling them that visiting hours were over for the minute, the Sandaime's team seven filing out obediently, well mostly, Jiraiya receiving a swat to the head from Tsunade for groping the nurses rump on the way out.

And it had almost been an hour too...a new record.

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Back on the bed, the limp form of Naruto stirred, low groans tearing from his abused throat, as he felt the pain of his injuries line up to post their dues. 'Where…am I?' he wondered, looking around in confusion, only to wince as the familiar smell of disinfectant and sterile death entered his nostrils 'Konoha hospital?' he deduced, lyig back into the pillows with a relieved smile 'Hah…eat that baka-Kitsune…destroyed the world my balls.'

'**Don't count your eggs just yet brat.'** The fox's mocking rumble pointed out, Naruto shuddering as he FELT the giant vulpine leer through his bones **'After all…assumptions can be fatal…'**

'As soon as I can move without killing myself I'm jabbing my brain with a senbon until you go away.' Naruto growled, closing his eyes to alleviate the pain in his eyes. For the love of Ramen it hurt to THINK for crying out loud. Every synapse seemed to send a billion volts of agony through his abused noggin. And that wasn't counting the burning, prickling sensation of his skin slowly growing back, or the stabbing pain whenever light met his eyes.

'I wonder who was here a few seconds ago.' He muttered, sniffing tenderly at the air, detecting faint traces of perfume 'Smells like Baa-chan's stuff.' He noted, a hint of relief washing over him at the prospect of the Godaime looking in on him.

The door opened to admit the nurse from earlier, the woman blinking in surprise as she caught him following her with his eyes, before smiling comfortingly "Want anything?"

"Water…" Naruto croaked, his voice hoarse and rusty from the pain, coughing up small flecks of dried blood as he tried to sit up. The nurse instantly rushed to his side, easing him back down onto the mattress, before pouring him a glass from the jug near his bed, holding it to his lips to drink in small, satisfying gulps.

"More?" she asked, refilling the glass at his nod, helping him get it down before rearranging his sheets and pillows for comfort. "Rest up while you can, the Hokage wants to speak with you later."

"No rest for the wicked huh?" Naruto muttered jokingly, earning a giggle from the woman as she ruffled his hair, replacing his saline drip and urine bag before marching out the door 'She's new…' he noted, being quite familiar with the majority of the Konoha medical staff 'Baa-chan must've recruited after the battle.'

Sighing exhaustedly, the blonde shut his eyes, falling into a fitful, tentative slumber that seemed to last less than a few minutes when a knock came from his door, but judging by the setting sun outside his window, it was already well past noon and into the evening. "The hokage is here to see you." The nurse from earlier informed him, stepping into the room to help him get presentable "Make sure you mind your manners okay?"

"Oh come on." Naruto chuckled, smirking cheekily up at the older woman as she helped him sit up in bed, making him look relatively presentable "You have to know that Baa-chan hates it when people act all formal outside the office."

"Baa-chan?" a coarse, decidedly MALE voice repeated, wry amusement in every syllable as the door swung open "Did I hear right Aniki, or does someone else think you've become an old maid since you got married?"

"Must you continue to dig, Tobirama?" another voice, decidedly more cultured than the first sighed, a long-haired man in red armor stepping through the door into Naruto's room. Behind him followed another man, this one with white, spiky hair and face markings, his armor identical to the other man's, only blue instead of red, with a furry collar around the neck.

Naruto gaped at them, recognizing them from his history lessons at the academy, his tutoring sessions with Ero-sennin and Baa-chan, but more importantly, from their effigy's looking down on him everyday of his life from the Hokage monument, his voice fading away with a choke as his mouth opened and closed sporadically.

"Whew!" the blue one noted, nudging his brother in the shoulder as he nodded towards the dumbstruck blonde jinchuriki with a wry smirk on his face "Looks like the brat's been through a real wringer, ne Aniki?"

"Contain yourself Tobirama." The red one countered, delivering a stern, but affectionate look at his brother, before turning to the gaping blonde and smiling "Good evening young man, my name is Senju Hashirama, Shodai Hokage of Konoha." He bowed slightly, before holding out a hand in greeting "And you are?"

Naruto stared at the offered hand numbly, dragging his gaze once more up to regard the living face of one of Konoha's founding fathers, before letting out a slight croak worthy of Gamabunta's clan and falling backwards onto the bed, his eyes rolling up into his skull as he passed out in a dead faint.

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Hashirama blinked, looking down at the blond ewhilehis brother fought the urge to keel over backwards and laugh his arse off at the dumbstruck expression on the Hokage's face, treacherous snickers escaping from between his pursed lips.

"Was it something I said?" the Shodai asked the nurse and his brother, his only answer a confused shrug from the nurse and a series of cackles from Tobirama, who couldn't contain himself an longer, collapsing to his knees as he pounded the floor in mirth.

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And that should be enough for now.

How will Naruto react to being catapultedback in time?

And just what effect will the future Kyuubi no jinchuriki have on the developing village of Konoha?

Tune in next time to find out!

Halibel: Danzo and Madara are watching you...send reviews to ward them away...

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

While the reviews I've gotten for this work have been heartening, I'm afraid it won't be updated as regularly as many of you might like. My other works, most notably Gaiden, Youko, and the sequel to Issan, have top priority, and some of them are long overdue as is.

To Nero Sparda: Your request and the Oneshot are well under way, but it'll be a while before they can be posted. Keep an eye out over the summer.

That said, on with the show!

* * *

Part 3.

Senju Hashirama blinked, his hand still outstretched in greeting, as he gaped down at the recumbent form of the mysterious genin before him. Part of him was wondering if he'd said something wrong, another wondering if perhaps the lad wasn't ready for visitors just yet.

But mostly, he was wondering just how long his younger brother, Tobirama, intended to keep snickering behind his back like a sugar-crazed hyena.

"You still got it, aniki," the white haired Senju chuckled, smirking behind his fist as his brother glared at him "You can still knock 'em dead with a look, though I think your wife may object to you charming teenage boys instead of her."

"Tobirama…" the older Senju growled, his tone instantly sobering everything within a five-mile radius, much to the detriment of the off-duty ANBU trying to drown their sorrows. Tobirama, to his credit, merely straightened up and stopped snickering, though he still had the gall to smirk at the Hokage. Ah the joys of brotherhood.

"All kidding aside, what the hell did you do?" the younger Senju asked, looking over the comatose blonde with concern as the nurse fussed over him, checking his pulse and calling for the doctor in charge "Yeesh, looks like you gave the poor kid a heart attack or something."

"I certainly hope not," a calm voice intoned, the duo looking round to find the head doctor standing there, her black ponytail looping round to rest against her chest, rather than down her back, a bemused expression on her face as she looked the two brothers over "After all, I'd hate to have to kill my husband for doing such a thing to one of my patients."

"No need for that, Retsu-chan." Hashirama chuckled weakly, holding up both hands to ward off his wife's temper. Hokage or not, it was clear who wore the pants in their union, as she well and truly knew "I'm sure the boy just wasn't quite ready for visitors is all."

"Especially not such important ones." Tobirama agreed, though he reveled in the sight of his normally impeccable brother walking on eggshells before his Sister-in-law "Took one look at Aniki's face and blanked out, poor sod."

"I hope you aren't implying something, Tobirama-kun." Senju Retsu asked, smiling serenely at her brother-in-law and causing him to sweat buckets "My husband's features are not nearly so gruesome…" she smiled serenely at the preening Hashirama "now if he had seen him first thing in the morning…"

"She's got you there, Aniki." Tobirama chuckled weakly, patting his depressed looking older brother on the back as the chief medic went to work on the mystery genin "You're a real bear before you get your morning coffee."

"Like you're any different?" Hashirama shot back, shrugging off the hand, albeit without much resentment, as he led the way out of the room, knowing his beloved preferred to not have people watching her work, wanting to keep her trade secrets as they were.

"Still," Tobirama allotted, falling into step beside his brother as they vacated the premises, hospital staff bowing respectfully and moving out of their way "that was a pretty weird reaction, don't you think? I mean he looked like the Shinnigami himself had grabbed him by the balls and twisted."

"Quite…" Hashirama grumbled, shivering at his brother's…GRAPHIC description of the boy's reaction, a frown marring his features as he walked out into the daylight once more "It almost looked like he recognized me from somewhere…but I highly doubt that's possible." He pulled out the duplicate of his necklace "And then there's this…whoever that youth is, I feel he's connected to something BIG."

"Big enough to wanna keep ol' red-eyes in the dark?" Tobirama inquired, referring to his older brother's rival, and Clan head of the prestigious Uchiha Clan "You know he's gonna be putting his nose where it's not wanted."

Now while Hashirama had vouched for Madara, for the entire Uchiha Clan for that matter, and continued to do so to this day, Tobirama, and the majority of Clan Senju, couldn't shake off their feelings of mistrust for the sharingan wielders.

It wasn't the fact that their clan element was Fire, the polar opposite to his water and Hashirama's wood, nor was it the fact that their sharingan allowed them to steal the hard earned skills of their opponents, which included a fair few Senju techniques to date.

No, the main driving force for Tobirama's mistrust of the Uchiha clan was their sheer, unbridled arrogance. The bastards honestly believed they were gods among men, or at least the older generations did, with Uchiha Madara, the exalted Clan head, and supposed wielder of a PERMANENT Mangekyou Sharingan, being the first to preach of their superiority.

Never mind the fact that the Senju clan had beaten them back repeatedly before the two clans allied, nor the fact that despite being a 'God', Hashirama had been elected as Konoha's founding father by the majority vote.

'Hell it hadn't even been a vote,' Tobirama snorted, recalling the Uchiha elder's outraged face as the results were posted 'Ol' red-eyes was the only one to vote for himself.'

"Normally I'd berate you on your attitude to Madara-san." Hashirama muttered, shooting his Outoto a serious look as he tucked the duplicate gem away "But the fact is until we can determine the root of this, I don't want him asking questions without me there to hear the answers."

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Naruto awoke to find the familiar roof of the Konoha medical ward over his head, sighing in relief as he leant back on the soft pillow laughing weakly to himself.

'It was all a dream…' he chuckled, covering his head with his arm and sighing again, his breath shaky 'There's no way I could've been hurtled back in time…probably just the meds messing with my head again.'

"I see you're awake." A calm voice called out, drawing the jinchuriki's attention to a smiling face framed by long black hair, dressed in a medical-robe he recalled Tsunade wearing for big operations and a green haori "How do you feel?"

'Like Gama-Oyabun set me on fire and then sat on me to put me out…' the blonde muttered internally, but shrugged it off and smiled cheekily up at the woman "Just peachy!"

"That's good to hear." The woman noted, sitting back and drawing an intrigued look from the blonde as to her unusual hairstyle "I have to admit I was worried when you first came in here."

"Heh, nothing can keep me down for long!" Naruto boasted, rubbing his nose confidently as he sat up, only to wince as pain wracked through his entire frame "Ite-!"

"Easy now…" the woman urged, pushing him down slightly so he was sitting up with his back propped up with pillows "Just because you're awake doesn't mean you should be running around."

"Heh…Baachan used to say the same thing." Naruto chuckled, smiling up at the woman as she tucked him in again "She was always telling me to take it easy after I pushed myself."

"Sounds like a smart woman." The medic approved, her serene smile oddly comforting as she soothed his hair with a gentle hand "Now then, would you care for some food?"

"Yeah! I'll have the usual Miso Ramen!" Naruto cheered, already tasting the divine nectar of the kami slidding down his throat, only to blink as the woman chuckled, clearly amused "What?"

"Ramen? What makes you think the hospital serves ramen to its patients?" the woman asked, covering her mouth with her haori sleeve "Don't you know that's the WORSE thing to eat when you're sick?"

"Say what?!" Naruto gaped, shocked out of his gourd that someone so nice could speak such blasphemy about the ambrosia that was his favorite food "That can't be true!"

"But it is." The woman assured him, her serene smile never leaving her face "While a tasty meal in moderation, the average bowl of cup ramen contains more salt than the body needs." She smiled at his startled gape "It can stunt your growth or lead to obesity if you over indulge."

"NOOOOOO!!!!" Naruto wailed, clapping both hands to his cheeks as he wept, his face a mask of horror and denial "Say it isn't so! Ramen-chan can't be bad for me!"

"Only if you overindulge." The smiling woman assured him, patting him on the leg to calm him down "I'm not saying you can't have ramen as a treat, but you should broaden your horizons and ensure you get plenty of vegetables." She smiled and tweaked his nose, causing him to blink cutely as she placed a bowl of gruel before him "Now eat up, doctor's orders."

"Man…" Naruto moaned, staring at the brown soup with a grimace as he spooned it up hesitantly "I always hate this part…" he spooned it in, his eyes shutting to brace himself for the flavor, only to blink in surprise "Hey…this tastes pretty good!"

"Why thank you." The smiling woman offered, watching him shovel it in as if nothing could please her more "It's an old family recipe that ensures fast recovery, I'm hoping it becomes Standard issue in the hospital.

"So do I!" Naruto enthused, pausing in his consumption of the deceptively tasty soup with an eager grin "This stuff's ten times better than the stuff Baa-chan's always trying to get me eat!"

"You really shouldn't bad mouth your grandmother dear." The woman reprimanded, her smile fading somewhat as she regarded him solemnly, hands on her lap.

"Oh she's not my grandma." Naruto assured the woman, feeling a rush of guilt at making her smile fade "I just call her that cause it ticks her off," he grinned and rubbed the back of his head "But ta tell ya the truth, I'm the only one who can call her that and get away with it."

"She must be very special to you…" the woman noted, her smile returning full force as she looked the boy over with approval "I hope that my grandchildren and I can be so close."

"You're a granny too? No way!" Naruto gaped, looking the woman, who looked no older than thirty and damn good for it, over in disbelief as she chuckled.

"Flatterer…" she offered, ruffling his hair and picking up the empty bowl and the tray it had been resting on with a smile "Shall I fetch you another bowl young man?"

"Yes please!" Naruto cheered, eager for more of that delicious soup as he thrust both arms in the air in jubilation "And call me Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto!"

"My name is Senju Retsu." The woman replied, smiling down at him serenely as she picked up the bowl "A pleasure to meet you, Naruto-kun."

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"Madara-sensei…" Danzo greeted, crouching before the Uchiha elder reverently, still dressed in his ANBU uniform, having rushed here from headquarters "You summoned me?"

"Report." Madara ordered, reclining on an ornate chair before a giant banner, upon which was imposed the Uchiha fan crest. One hand was resting on his knee, while the other supported his cheek with his knuckles. The man's features were concealed by the darkness of the room, save for his active Sharingan, which were drilling into Danzo like lasers.

"Concerning the matter of the supposed attack yesterday..." Danzo began, lowering his gaze respectfully, and fearfully, away from those eyes "It turns out that it may NOT an attempt to instigate a war, but apparently the result of a jutsu experiment gone wrong." At the persisting silence he continued "The young man encountered by Sarutobi Hiruzen appears to be a genin of Konoha, as attestable by his Konoha Hitai-ate, which is in turn of the same quality and make as those produced by the Ten clan's outfitters-!"

"Danzo…" the Uchiha clan head muttered, his tone laced with irritation "all you have told me thus far are 'maybes' and 'apparent'…have I not told you to not waste my time on anything other than definite information or suspicions?"

"My apologies." Danzo offered, though internally he was clenching his teeth, a display of emotion he'd never DARE display physically for fear of retribution "However, the Shodai Hokage has begun a PERSONAL investigation into the matter…and has even seen to it that his own wife tends to the boy as he recovers." He dared to raise his head, though his eyes remained shut "Apparently what ever this young man's secrets are, the Hokage doesn't believe they should be made available to any outside his influence."

Madara was silent for a moment, his Sharingan eyes narrowing in suspicion as he regarded his pupil and spy with the spinning tomoe. 'What are you planning…Hashirama…?' he wondered, a surge of anger rushing through him at the mention of his hated rival's name 'Another bid to subjugate the Uchiha? Or is the title of Hokage not enough for you?'

In all honesty, the Uchiha clan leader had been considering packing his personal belongings and heading off to train, as it had become quite apparent that his clan had fallen under the sway of his former rival. He'd planned, and rightly so, to return as a conqueror, to remind the placid sheep of the true might of the Uchiha, to make them shed their so called ideals of 'Peace' with their hated enemies and take back the pride and prestige that was rightfully theirs.

But it would appear that his plans would have to be put on hold for a while. For if this one youth warranted enough attention that the Hokage himself was looking into things, then there just might be a new possibility to exploit.

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"C'mon Tsunade…" Jiraiya groaned, kicking his feet lazily as he slouched after his annoying teammate, waving cheekily at the nurses as they walked past "Can't we just let you gramps handle things? I got places to be…"

"I could care less about your filthy habits pervert!" Tsunade snapped glaring at her lecherous teammate in disgust "Besides, aren't you curious as to who he is? I mean, not only is he a genin nobody's seen before, but when we found him he was practically flayed alive!"

"It was more like the outer epidermis of skin had been burned away." Orochimaru pointed out from the rear, earning dark looks from the budding medic, to which he merely shrugged.

"In any case." Tsunade muttered, ignoring their sensei's favorite in favor of Jiraiya "As the ones that found him, don't you think we have a right to check up on him?"

"While that is most certainly an exemplary attitude for a shinobi to take," a serene voice opined, Tsunade freezing as she realized her teammates were gaping at someone in front of her in alarm "I'm afraid that visiting hours are over, Tsu-chan."

"R-Retsu-Obachan…" the Shodai's granddaughter stammered, staring up at the smiling features of her grandmother in shock and trepidation "We…were just…"

"Thinking of sneaking in to check up on the boy who almost fell into your lap?" Retsu teased, chuckling as her granddaughter turned an interesting shade of magenta "Ara-ara, Tsu-chan, don't you think people will talk?"

"OBACHAN!" the blonde hissed, her twin ponytails rising like a cat's in her ire, shooting a glare over her shoulder as Jiraiya failed to completely suppress his snickering. Hell even Orochimaru, who normally exhibited nothing but cool indifference, had turned his head to the side in an attempt to conceal his smirk.

"Now off with you." Retsu insisted, turning the incensed blonde around and patting her rump to make her stagger forwards "The young man will still be here tomorrow, of that I can assure you, so you can come back once you've made yourself presentable."

"But I'm not!" Tsunade began, only to blink as the doors to the hospital shut behind her, her face flushing as she realized how easily she'd been manipulated, before rounding on the sniggering Jiraiya "What's so funny?!"

"Your grandma rocks!" Jiraiya cackled, holding his belly as he kicked doubled over from laughing so hard "Now I know who wears the pants in your family!"

"Get your mind out of the gutter you perv!" Tsunade growled, bitch-slapping Jiraiya into the pavement with a huff "and don't think I didn't catch you eyeing her up!"

"Hey! Even I have standards!" Jiraiya shot back, looking incensed at the very idea "I mean yeah she's pretty, but she's a GRANDMA, I'm not so low that I perv out on people's grannies!"

"He's right you know." Orochimaru pointed out, earning a look of disbelief from the Tsunade that he'd defend the idiot "While Jiraiya DID notice her, it was no different from the way anyone else would, he also kept his eyes trailed on her face the entire time."

"Like I said, even I have Standards." Jiraiya muttered with a glare, sitting up on the ground cross-legged and nodding sagely "Now if It'd been your mom…!"

"YOU SICK PERVO!" Tsunade snarled, digging into the idiot with renewed vigor, even as Orochimaru shook his head in disbelief at their antics. As he did so, he caught sight of the fire escape running along the walls of the building, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed upon it.

"What're you looking at?" Tsunade muttered, looking up from her favorite game of 'whack-a-perv' to follow her pale skinned teammate's line of vision, blinking in realization "Orochimaru you're a genius!"

"I am?" the pale youth wondered, looking over at her in confusion, shaken out of his thoughts on how rusty and unsafe the fire escape had been allowed to become and the security risks it posed as Tsunade pushed past him, his eyes widening as she made to clamber up it "Wait! You can't mean to-!"

"Good eye partner!" Jiraiya applauded, apparently unfazed after the savage beating he'd just received as he patted his teammate on the shoulder "Never woulda thought you had it in ya!"

"But I didn't-! I mean-!" the pale chunin candidate stammered, only to sigh explosively and lower his head, following after them with a long suffering expression on his pale face "Sarutobi-sensei is going to KILL us for this…"

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"So gooooood!" Naruto moaned, swallowing down yet another bowl of the thick, creamy broth that Retsu-san had wheeled in for him, setting it aside and promptly picking up another off the cart, slurping it down eagerly before leaning back on his pillows, sated at last.

"My what a healthy appetite." Retsu chuckled; motioning for the traumatized nurse to wheel away the towering bowls of soup the blonde had consumed "You must have been quite hungry."

"Understatement of the year there, Retsu-san." Naruto chuckled, leaning back on the pillow and allowing the woman to pull the cover up under his chin "But after a meal like that I'll be raring to go tomorrow!"

"Oh I doubt that." Retsu countered, tucking him in with a smile "As the head nurse, I cannot in good conscience let you run around until I've given you a FULL check up."

Naruto turned scarlet, recalling the last time he'd been given a full check up by Tsunade and Shizune, more specifically how they'd made him strip for it, and promptly reaffirmed his resolution to make his escape before morning came. The hospital staff couldn't very well claim he needed medical attention after he led them on a merry chase around the village, now could they?

"Well, my shift is over now." Retsu noted, looking up at the clock on the wall and smiling down at the blonde as she stroked his hair "However, I'm certain that you won't be giving the nurses any trouble…" her smile changed "Will you?"

Naruto, who suddenly got the feeling that saying anything other than a polite 'No ma'am' would NOT end favorably for him, simply shook his head slowly, letting out a sigh of relief as Retsu turned on her heal and walked out the door.

'Okay…THAT was scary…' he muttered, his heart starting up again as the terror that had pinned him to the bed faded away 'Man, and I thought Orochimaru's smiles were creepy…' he shuddered at the memory of the late snake sennin and his lolling tongue and creepy laugh 'not that Retsu-san's creepy or anything but…sheesh…'

Shaking his head, the Blonde closed his eyes, letting his senses wander as he took in the timing of the ANBU patrolling the building, a practice he'd gotten pretty good at over the years, even before Tsunade had been elected as Hokage, thus changing the patterns to her own tastes.

'Seems like a pretty tight group…' he noted, smirking in approval, as he was always up for a challenge 'All chunin class at least…one jounin…ten second intervals…'

With a smirk, the blonde jinchuuriki opened his eyes, walking over to the door, smiling up at the medic nin currently on watch and asking her to escort him to the restroom.

The medic, yet another newcomer that the blonde didn't recall, had done so with a kind smile, leading him to the restroom and waiting politely outside as he did his business. Unknown to her however, said business had involved creating a Kagebunshin to take his place, the blonde giving it instructions to lie in bed and pretend to sleep, as it would dispel if it actually fell asleep, before waiting a few seconds for the medic to walk it back to the room.

A quick henge later, and Naru-chan, his Orioke form, had assumed the form of a perky new orderly and stepped boldly out into the corridor, picking up a clipboard off the desk to keep up the appearance of things as she made her way towards the exit.

'Man…did they recruit a whole division while Ero-sennin and I were away?' the blonde wondered, eying the unfamiliar faces of the nurses, doctors and orderlies as she walked past 'I mean I now Baachan was all for increasing the ranks but come on-!'

He trailed off, letting out a gasp as he ducked around a corner, peeking out with a nervous look to find Retsu-san standing there, conversing with what looked to be members of the Inuzuka clan, judging by the markings on their faces, the woman of the pair holding her slightly rounded belly with a smile.

'Must be Kiba's aunt or something…' he muttered, gritting his teeth and hoping to whichever Kami was listening he was downwind, as he had no desire to be caught so soon, even more so by Retsu-san of all people 'Guess I'll take the roof route…' he muttered, retracing his steps to the laundry room, as a pile of fresh laundry to be aired would make his being their all the more believable.

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"Would you hurry it up Jiraiya?" Tsunade hissed, clambering up the fire escape as quickly as she dared "I know it's rusty but you could at least shift your fat ass up a gear!"

"Maybe if I had something OTHER than your skinny ass hovering over my head as motivation I'd consider it!" Jiraiya muttered bitterly "And anyways, why don't we just wait till tomorrow to check this guy out?"

"Jiraiya, give it a rest." Orochimaru cut in, shaking his head to silence his teammate "You should know by now that if Tsunade-Hime wants to do something, she'll do it."

"Doesn't mean she's gotta drag US along with her…" Jiraiya muttered condescendngly, only to yelp as Tsunade stamped on his fingers from above with her heel.

"We do everything as a team, remember?" Tsunade reminded the youth, smirking smugly as Orochimaru clapped a hand over the white haired genin's mouth to silence his roars of anger "What would Sarutobi-sensei say if he found out you let me go into this alone?"

"He'd be patting us on the head for using our heads." Orochimaru quipped cheerfully, earning a snort from Jiraiya and a glare from Tsunade for his trouble.

"Whatever!" Tsunade huffed, pulling herself over the edge of the building with a grunt "I don't need you two cowards' help anyway-!"

She trailed off, eyes widening as she came face to face with a pretty, pigtailed, blonde medic with blue eyes and a figure to die for, who had apparently been hanging laundry on the roof to dry.

The two of them stared at each other, light brown gaping into sky blue, as if each was unable to comprehend what the other was doing there, only for Tsunade to lean back in alarm as she realized they'd been spotted, the blonde kunoichi paling as she felt, far too late, the telltale signs a tremor, her eyes widening as the fire-escape let out an ominous grown, the rusted metal giving way from the side of the building with a crack.

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And that's all for now folks.

Yes, the Shodai's wife looks like unohana from 'turn back the pendulum'. Make of that what you will.

R&R!!!

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